Method for Displaying an Operating Menu and Activating a Cooking Appliance

1. A method of displaying at least one operating menu of a cooking appliance on a touchscreen and of controlling the cooking appliance, the operating menu having different menu levels, characterized in that in a first menu level, displaying: a) a first overview field of at least one cooking chamber defined by a flat heating surface that serves to heat the cooking chamber, wherein the flat heating surface comprises a plurality of directly selectable areas that are defined by a plurality of heating elements and each of the plurality of areas is heated separately and independently from adjacent areas, and wherein said directly selectable areas have corresponding activation areas in the first menu level for separate activation of the areas of the flat heating surface; b) a second overview field having and showing a plurality of different predefined cooking chamber subdivisions, each shown subdivision comprising one or more of the directly selectable areas for separate activation of the flat heating surface, without already allocated cooking applications linked to each of the separately activatable areas of the subdivision of the cooking chamber, the predefined cooking chamber subdivisions being directly selectable in the first menu level for activation of the corresponding flat heating surface areas; c) a third overview field having a plurality of different cooking applications, which are directly selectable in the first menu level for activation; and d) a fourth overview field having and showing different, predefined cooking chamber subdivisions, with already allocated cooking applications, each shown subdivision comprising one or more of the directly selectable areas for separate activation of the flat heating surface, wherein the one or more directly selectable areas of the flat heating surface define a shape and area of the corresponding chamber subdivision, wherein the different predefined cooking chamber subdivisions include different separately activatable areas of the heating surface with already allocated cooking applications, which are directly selectable in the first menu level; wherein in the first menu level, in addition to displaying the first overview field, only one of the second, third and fourth overview fields is displayed, and a selection can be made by means of additional virtual keys as to whether the one of the second, third and fourth overview fields is the additionally displayed overview field; and wherein both said predefined cooking chamber subdivisions without already allocated cooking applications and said predefined cooking chamber subdivisions with already allocated cooking applications include user-defined cooking chamber subdivisions generated by a user using the touchscreen, displayed on the touchscreen, and saved beyond an ON time of the cooking appliance.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the first menu level, the third overview field is also displayed, and areas of the cooking chamber can be selected and cooking applications can be allocated to the selected areas without leaving the first menu level.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after selecting an option in the at least one of the second, third and fourth overview fields, the remaining options of these overview fields are faded out.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the use of the operating menu is saved in a controller and, in a subsequent operation, either at least the overview field from the group of the second, third and fourth overview fields that is most rarely used is faded out from the first menu level, or the overview field that was last used is faded in and the remaining overview fields are faded out.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein cooking applications are allocated to selected areas of the cooking chamber or, conversely, selected areas of the cooking chamber are allocated to cooking applications, by selecting the areas in the first overview field and cooking applications in the third overview field.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein after allocation of areas and cooking applications, the first overview field displays to which further areas the selected cooking application can be extended.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after a selection of a cooking application, the first overview field displays at least one area which is allocated in an optimized manner by an allocated controller and which can be selected in order to place the selected cooking application in said area or to extend it to said area.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein from the first menu level a submenu can be called, in which cooking applications can be individualized or in which the predefined cooking chamber subdivisions, predefined cooking applications and predefined cooking chamber subdivisions with already allocated cooking applications, to be displayed in the first menu level in the second to fourth overview fields, respectively, can be selected and/or positioned.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein additional, individually parameterizable select keys can be generated and saved permanently in a submenu for at least one of the second, third and fourth overview fields.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the first menu level and in the first overview field, either a plurality of cooking chambers having cooking chamber areas that are selectable in the first menu level and activatable thereby are displayed next to each other, or cooking chambers can be selected individually in order to be displayed alone.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an information display area is available in the first menu level or can be faded into the first menu level by selection, wherein the information display area contains information in relation to parameters for each area of the cooking chamber.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each area in the first overview field is selectable such that access to at least one of the following keys is effected, which are faded in: stop key, timer key, delete key, key for opening a function to change the selected areas, and modifier key for opening a submenu.

13. A cooking appliance, comprising: at least one cooking chamber defined by a flat heating surface that serves to heat the cooking chamber, wherein the flat heating surface comprises a plurality of directly selectable areas that are defined by a plurality of heating elements and each of the plurality of areas is heated separately and independently from adjacent areas; at least one computer processor coupled to a touchscreen, the touchscreen displaying at least one operating menu, the operating menu having different menu levels, wherein a first menu level displays: a first overview field of the at least one cooking chamber, wherein said directly selectable areas of the cooking chamber have corresponding activation areas in the first menu level for separate activation of the areas of the flat heating surface; a second overview field having and showing a plurality of different predefined cooking chamber subdivisions, each shown subdivision comprising one or more of the directly selectable areas for separate activation of the flat heating surface, without already allocated cooking applications linked to each of the separately activatable areas of the subdivision of the cooking chamber, the predefined cooking chamber subdivisions being directly selectable in the first menu level for activation of the corresponding flat heating surface areas; a third overview field having a plurality of different cooking applications, which are directly selectable in the first menu level for activation; and a fourth overview field having and showing different, predefined cooking chamber subdivisions, with already allocated cooking applications, each shown subdivision comprising one or more of the directly selectable areas for separate activation of the flat heating surface, wherein the one or more directly selectable areas of the flat heating surface define a shape and area of the corresponding chamber subdivision, wherein the different predefined cooking chamber subdivisions include different separately activatable areas of the heating surface with already allocated cooking applications, which are directly selectable in the first menu level; wherein in the first menu level, in addition to displaying the first overview field, only one of the second, third and fourth overview fields is displayed, and a selection can be made by means of additional virtual keys as to whether the one of the second, third and fourth overview fields is the additionally displayed overview field; and wherein both said predefined cooking chamber subdivisions without already allocated cooking applications and said predefined cooking chamber subdivisions with already allocated cooking applications include user-defined cooking chamber subdivisions generated by a user using the touchscreen, displayed on the touchscreen, and saved beyond an ON time of the cooking appliance.

14. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein in the first menu level, the third overview field is also displayed, and areas of the cooking chamber can be selected and cooking applications can be allocated to the selected areas without leaving the first menu level.

15. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein after selecting an option in the at least one of the second, third and fourth overview fields, the remaining options of these overview fields are faded out.

16. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein the use of the operating menu is saved in a controller and, in a subsequent operation, either at least the overview field from the group of the second, third and fourth overview fields that is most rarely used is faded out from the first menu level, or the overview field that was last used is faded in and the remaining overview fields are faded out.

17. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein cooking applications are allocated to selected areas of the cooking chamber or, conversely, selected areas of the cooking chamber are allocated to cooking applications, by selecting the areas in the first overview field and cooking applications in the third overview field.

18. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein after a selection of a cooking application, the first overview field displays at least one area which is allocated in an optimized manner by an allocated controller and which can be selected in order to place the selected cooking application in said area or to extend it to said area.

19. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein in the first menu level and in the first overview field, either a plurality of cooking chambers having cooking chamber areas that are selectable in the first menu level and activatable thereby are displayed next to each other, or cooking chambers can be selected individually in order to be displayed alone.

20. The cooking appliance according to claim 13 , wherein an information display area is available in the first menu level or can be faded into the first menu level by selection, wherein the information display area contains information in relation to parameters for each area of the cooking chamber.